Wellness
It was intriguing to hear the different definitions and interpretations of wellness. The focus on wellness was predominant in so many sessions – not surprising, as this was the Wellness Summit after all! The Wellness Paradigm, Illness-Wellness Continuum and the Wellness Spiral were all different angles of wellness with the same end in mind. Ultimately, wellness is the state of optimal well-being, not simply the absence of illness, but an improved quality of life which allows us to achieve our goals and find meaning and purpose in our lives. Knowing how to make, implement and maintain change is a key to wellness. It was interesting to see that during earlier conferences we had struggled to define what a spa is, and now we felt challenged to define wellness.

Despite some provoking thoughts provided from amongst the audience it must have been a relief to many to hear that spas are here to stay. It’s also fine to be pampered. Pampering and indulgence had been challenged at previous conferences so it was good to hear that pampering could still contribute towards a person’s well-being if the intention was positive.

At the same time we heard from many speakers that the opportunities to expand beyond escape and indulgence are tremendous and more and more clients expect their spas to make a lasting impact on their well-being. So, the expanding needs of the clients demand more change on our part.

While today’s spa treatments are rather passive from a client’s perspective, more interaction and self-responsibility will be required of tomorrow’s spas and their employees. We have to ask ourselves as an industry if today’s spas are geared up to cater to these needs.

Overview | Expectations | Impressions | Wellness | Employees | Business | Venue | Conclusion

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